CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Schers, Joost Christian Gertrudes |
|---|---|
| Title | Catholics, Heretics and Schismatics: Episcopal Authority in the Ostrogothic Kingdom, AD 493 - 535 |
| Summary | This master thesis answers the question what episcopal authority entailed in the Ostrogothic period in Italy. Previous scholars of late antique ecclesiastical history have mainly focused their work especially on the fourth and fifth centuries, while research on the Ostrogothic Kingdom was primarily set on secular and political matters. This thesis argues that the authority of Catholic bishops was to a large extent retained when the Arian King Theoderic came to rule the central part of the former Western Roman Empire. This argument is based on an in-depth analysis of the Variae of Cassiodorus, the papal-imperial letter collection known as the Collectio Avellana, and the Vita Sancti Epiphanii by Ennodius of Pavia respectively. The main conclusion is that each source describes different ways in which the bishops stressed and/or were acknowledged to have an authoritative position by the Ostrogothic king and the Eastern Roman emperor. The particular aims of each author or compiler explain why these dissimilarities are present. Cassiodorus wanted to demonstrate to his audience that the Ostrogothic rule was a continuation of the Roman one. His letters therefore show Gothic respect for the legal authority of the Catholic clergy as judges and property owners. In contrast, the letter correspondences in the CA display the authority of the pope as the supreme and immaculate bishop in the church hierarchy based on the Petrine doctrine. They attest to the impressive scale of papal self-assertion in this matter. However, the realities behind the letters, especially the continuing Acacian schism, shows how weak the position of the pope was in the East without imperial support. Lastly, Ennodius of Pavia wanted to portray an image of Bishop Epiphanius as a holy man, who above all was a successful mediator in diplomatic relationships, and as a local urban leader relying on his superior spiritual and pragmatic authority. The most important element in all three sources is the awareness, and often the appreciation, of the traditional mediating role of the bishop in Roman society. |
| Supervisor | Saghy, Marianne; Menze, Volker |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/schers_joost.pdf |
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